


I Love You Like This

by Larry_Klaine_Stylinson



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Angst, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Friendship/Love, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-25
Updated: 2013-01-25
Packaged: 2017-11-26 19:17:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,970
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/653551
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Larry_Klaine_Stylinson/pseuds/Larry_Klaine_Stylinson
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The boys go out to the bar, and Louis gets decidedly smashed. He makes a confession to Harry, and decides the next day that he’d very much like to take it back.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I Love You Like This

The boys had a few days with nothing to do, and had decided to all go out for a drink together just to let off some steam. They’d been dreadfully busy lately and figured they really had earned a night out.

The night was drawing to a close now, and everyone was preparing to head home. Zayn and Niall were pretty fucking drunk, but they still had the ability to function on a somewhat normal human level. Liam and Harry were just slightly buzzed, neither of them being very big drinkers most of the time. And then there was Louis. Louis who had gotten himself completely smashed.

Harry had been keeping an eye on him all night. He wasn’t sure why Louis had felt the need to drink enough alcohol to fill an in ground pool, but he sure as hell wasn’t going to take his eyes off him. He didn’t want his best mate getting into any trouble.

“C’mon, Lou. Time to go home.” He said to Louis, who was sitting next to him in the booth in the back of the room, his head resting on Zayn’s shoulder.

“Not sure I can stand up, Haz.” Louis admitted.

“Come on.” Zayn said, pushing Louis’ head off his shoulder. “Up.”

Harry scooted out of the booth, “Wrap your arms around my neck, Lou Bear. I’ll help you out to the car.”

Louis wrapped his arms around Harry’s neck, and Harry put a supporting arm around his waist, helping him out to the car.

“He’s pretty fucked isn’t he?” Liam asked, after they were all seated, and they car had started moving off towards their complex.

“I’d say so.” Zayn said. “He drooled on my shoulder in there.” He tried to rub his shoulder on Liam, but was batted away.

“Honestly, Zayn. You’re not much better.”

Niall laughed from the corner of the car where he had been sitting quietly, just observing.

“He’s going to be so hungover in the morning, and I’m going to have to deal with it.” Harry said, his arm wrapped around Louis’ shoulders.

“I can come by and help, mate.” Liam offered.

“No. Thanks though, Li, but I think we’ll be alright.”

The car pulled into their complex then, and they all got out, going to their separate apartments. Harry had to quite literally pick Louis up and carry him bridal style, otherwise there was no way he was getting the boy inside.

Once they were inside, he set Louis down on the couch, “Let’s get you some coffee, yeah?”

Louis nodded, and Harry went out to the kitchen, making some coffee and grabbing he and Louis each a bottle of water as well.

Louis took the mug of coffee gratefully and took a large gulp, “Fuck, that’s hot. You could’ve warned me.”

“It’s coffee, Lou. What’d you expect?”

“I’m drunk, Haz.” He slurred. “You can’t expect me to ‘member these things.”

“Fair enough.” Harry sat down next to Louis on the couch, and Louis rested his head on Harry’s shoulder. “Finish your coffee.” Harry said, bumping Louis’ head with his shoulder.

“Ouch. Headache.”

“That’s your own fault. Finish the coffee. It’ll help.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Louis said, taking another mouthful of the hot liquid.

Fifteen minutes of silence later and Louis had finished the coffee and half of his bottle of water.

“I need to wee.” He announced, standing up and stumbling his way to the bathroom.

Harry laughed. His best mate was an idiot, but he loved him.

Like, actually really loved him. But he tried not to think about that too often, because he knew Louis could never return his feelings.

He sighed, taking a sip from his water bottle.

“Care to watch Grease with me?” Louis asked as he walked back in from the loo.

“Sure.” Harry said, hopping up off the couch and popping the DVD into the player.

He sat back down next to Louis, and Louis cuddled into his side.

Harry tried not to think anything of it. Sure, Louis had sobered up enough to walk himself to go piss, but he obviously wasn’t anywhere near actually being sober.

Still, he had trouble focusing on the movie when Louis was snuggled up against him, his head resting on his shoulder. Harry rested his head atop Louis’ and hoped the other boy didn’t mind. They had always been affectionate with each other to the point that others sometimes found it odd. But every once in a while Harry would get scared that Louis would figure it out. Figure out that Harry had more than friendly feelings for him, and then what?

Louis reached over and grabbed Harry’s hand, threading their fingers together. Harry ran his thumb along the back of Louis’ hand gently, and he wished they could be like this all the time.

Louis suddenly grabbed the remote, muting the TV.

He looked up at Harry, his bright blue eyes just a bit foggy looking under the influence of the alcohol, “I love you, Hazza.”

“I love you, too, Lou.” Harry said, hoping he just sounded friendly.

“No. I mean I love you.”

“…And I love you.”

“You’re not getting it, Haz.” Louis said, shaking his head solemnly. “I love you like….Like…When I see you, I…” He paused, obviously having trouble collecting his thoughts, thanks to all the alcohol he had consumed that evening. “I love you like…When I see your pretty green eyes…I love you like how when you smile you get those little dimples and-” He stopped then, seeming to be confused by his own words.

Harry thought he knew what Louis was trying to say, but he didn’t dare let himself get excited just yet. He couldn’t. It’d only hurt that much worse if he ended up misunderstanding.

“I love you like this, Hazza.” Louis said, leaning up to kiss Harry gently on the mouth.

And he tasted like alcohol, and Harry really wished he were sober, because that would make it all the more special. But he wasn’t, and there was nothing Harry could do about it.

Louis needed to know that he felt that same way, so he reached up, cupping Louis’ jaw in one of his large hands, and rubbing his thumb gently over Louis’ cheek.

“You taste good.” Louis whispered as he pulled away.

Harry could feel the grin on his own face, hurting his cheeks, “I love you like that, too, Boo Bear.”

“Yeah?” Louis asked.

“Yeah.”

Louis unmuted the telly, and they went back to watching their film.

Five minutes later and Louis was out like a light. Harry carefully removed himself from his place next to Louis on the couch, lying him down gently and covering him up with a blanket.

He then went to his room and called Niall with shaking fingers.

“H’lo?” Came the groggy answer.

“He kissed me.” Harry said.

“Mate, you just woke me up. You’re gonna have to be more thorough with your stories than that.” Niall stated.

“Louis. He said, ‘I love you like this.’ and then kissed me, Niall.”

Harry had informed Niall of his feelings for Louis a few months ago when they had become too much for him to deal with on his own. He could’ve gone to Liam or Zayn, and maybe he should have. But something in him had told him to go to Niall.

“No fucking way!” Niall yelled. “Took him long enough. Fucking hell.”

“You think he meant it?” Harry asked nervously.

“Why would he say it if he didn’t, mate? When has Louis ever been like that?”

“I guess…I guess you’re right.” Harry conceded. “I’ll um. I’ll have a talk with him about it tomorrow. Find out where we stand and…Yeah. Yeah.”

“You better bloody call me as soon as you’ve figured it all out. I want to be the first to know!”

“Of course, Nialler. Get back to sleep now, mate.”

“‘Night, Haz. Good luck with Lou tomorrow.”

“Thanks. G’night.”

Harry hung up the phone, lying down on his bed and drifting off to sleep with a smile on his face.

000

Louis awoke to the smell of bacon sizzling on the stove. He had the worst headache he’d had in ages. What had happened last night?

Oh, right. He’d gone to the bar with the lads. He must have had a bit too much to drink.

He was on the couch, under a blanket, he realized. Harry must have covered him up.

Harry.

There was something he needed to remember about Harry. Something from last night.

Shit.

Shit shit shit.

He’d told him he loved him.

He…He couldn’t remember Harry’s response.

Better to just play it off as a drunk mistake then. No use putting any tension between he and his best mate for no reason.

Harry had probably just laughed it off at the time. Louis tried to remember, but he couldn’t.

Laughing it off sounded like a very Harry-ish thing to do, though. It prevented him from having to make an uncomfortable response, and prevented Louis from having to be uncomfortable at him knowing.

Yeah. Harry had definitely just laughed it off.

000

“Morning, Haz!” Harry heard Louis’ groggy voice from behind him, as he flipped a few pancakes over for the two of them.

“Morning, Lou.”

“I was so fucking hammered last night, huh?” Louis chuckled.

“Yeah, you were. I was a bit worried for a while there.” Harry said, turning around to face the older boy.

“I think I was a bit out of my mind, so if I said anything out of the ordinary, you can just pretend it never happened.”

Harry felt his heart drop. Was he referring to the kiss and the profession of love? He must be.

“You don’t…You don’t remember anything from last night?” He asked hesitantly.

“Not a thing.” Louis shrugged. “Why?”

“No reason.” Harry said, trying not to let the hurt show in his voice. “Just…You were really fucking drunk, weren’t you, mate?” He laughed, but he didn’t think it sounded very convincing.

“S’pose so, yeah.” Louis sat down. “What’s for breakfast?”

“Pancakes and bacon.” Harry said, serving them each a plate.

Breakfast passed in silence, neither of them making a sound aside from their forks and knives scraping across their plates.

When they were done eating, Harry cleared the plates, and Louis went to go shower. Harry took that as an opportunity to call Niall.

“Hey, mate. How’d it go?”

“Not good.” Harry said, trying to hold back the tears that were now welling in his eyes.

“Uh oh. What happened? I thought you two were going to live happily ever after.” The genuine disappointment in Niall’s voice made the whole situation a lot more unbearable.

Harry began to cry, “He said he doesn’t remember a thing about last night, and that if he said anything weird I should just forget it.”

“And him telling you he’s in love with you is weird?”

“Obviously, yeah.” Harry said, wiping his eyes with the hand that was not holding the phone. “I don’t know what to do. I thought…”

“I know, mate. I thought so, too. I was rooting for you.”

“Thanks, Niall. I just…It’s gonna be so hard looking him in the eyes after what happened, and I-” Just then Harry heard the shower turn off. “Shit. He’s on his way back out here. I’ve gotta go.”

“Maybe try talking to him anyway? Bye, mate!”

Harry quickly hung up the phone, throwing it down on the couch and turning on the telly before Louis could make his way out into the front room.

“What’cha watching?” Louis asked, plopping down on the couch next to Harry.

Harry winced at his close proximity, shrugging because he really didn’t know what was on.

“Got any plans for the day?”

“Not really.” Harry shrugged.

“You’re quiet today.” Louis observed.

“Guess so.”

000

Why was Harry being so strange?

Fuck. Had he not laughed it off? Were he and Harry in a fight that Louis didn’t even know about?

They couldn’t be, though. Harry wouldn’t have made him breakfast if he were mad at him.

Maybe he was ill?

“You doing okay?” Louis asked, reaching forward and placing a hand on Harry’s forehead. He couldn’t help but notice Harry flinching at his touch. Something wasn’t right. “You don’t have a fever.”

“I’m not sick, Lou.” Harry said, batting Louis’ hand away. “I’m gonna go for a walk.”

“Mind if I join?”

“Yeah…Yeah, actually, I do.”

And with that, Harry’s shoes were on, and he was out the door.

Louis brought his knees up to his chest, curling in on himself.

What had he done?

He’d fucked up his and Harry’s entire friendship.

He called Zayn, the only person who knew of his feelings for Harry. He only knew because he’d figured it out. Louis wasn’t going to tell anyone. Not ever.

Except apparently Harry.

Fuck.

“Hey, Lou.” Zayn greeted, sounding a bit hungover.

“I told Harry.”

“Told him what?”

“That…That I love him.”

“Well, go on. What’d he say then?”

“I don’t remember.”

“What?”

“It was last night. I was drunk off my rocker, and all I remember is that I told him. I think he just laughed it off, and I didn’t want things getting awkward between us over this, so I told him today to just forget about it if I had said anything weird last night.”

“Okay. So nothing’s changed then. Not that big of a deal, mate.”

“But things have changed, Zayn! That’s why I’ve fucking called you.”

“Alright, alright. No need to get snippy. Tell me what’s going on.”

“He keeps wincing whenever I get close to him, and he’s just stormed off to go for a walk and wouldn’t let me come with him.” Louis explained. “Zayn, what if I’ve lost my best mate?”

“You haven’t lost him. Just give him some time.”

“I wish I hadn’t gotten so drunk. I never wanted him to know. And even at that I never expected him to react this badly.”

“Everything’ll work itself out, Lou. Give him an hour or two. It’s gotta be strange, you know? But I’m sure he still loves you all the same, as his best mate, even if he doesn’t love you the way you do him. Just give him a bit to work it all out.”

“Yeah. Yeah, you’re right. Thanks, Zayn.”

“Any time, Lou.”

000

Once Harry was a few blocks away from his and Louis’ apartment he pulled out his phone, calling Niall again.

“Hello?”

“Niall, I can’t do it. I fucking can’t.”

“You can, mate. You can handle it.”

“No, I honestly can’t. Every time he comes near me I just…Can I spend a week at your place maybe? Or…Or maybe longer. Just…Please, Niall.”

“You think it’ll help?”

Harry nodded before realizing that the Irish lad couldn’t see him through the phone, “Yeah.”

“Fine then.”

“Thank you so much, Niall.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

Harry headed back to he and Louis’, going into his room to pack up some stuff for staying at Niall’s for a bit.

“What are you doing?” He heard Louis’ voice from the doorway to his bedroom.

“Packing some stuff. Spending a bit of time at Nialler’s this week.”

“Honestly.” Louis scoffed.

Harry refused to turn around, tears welling up in his eyes once again.

“Are you just going to ignore me?” Louis demanded.

“What do you want me to say?” Harry asked softly.

“Why’re you going to Niall’s?”

Silence.

“Are you honestly fucking leaving me just because I love you?! I can’t fucking help it, Harry!” Louis shouted.

Harry stopped dead in his tracks. Had he heard right?

“Wait, what?” Harry asked.

“Don’t make me say it again.” Louis pleaded quietly.

“No, Lou, please.”

“I said I can’t help it if I love you, Harry.” Louis said, so quietly that Harry could hardly hear him.

He walked over to Louis quickly, grabbing him gently by the shoulders, “That’s not why I was going to leave, Lou.”

“It…What? But…Ever since I told you, you’ve been-“

“No.” Harry cut him off. “Ever since you told me to forget about it I’ve been avoiding you, alright, Lou? Because…Because I was so happy last night. And then you played it off like you were just drunk and stupid and you didn’t mean it, but I…But I wanted you to mean it.”

“You…What?”

“I love you like this, Lou.” Harry said, leaning forward and pressing his lips to Louis’.

And this kiss was so much better than the one from the night before. Because they were both completely sober. Both of them knew they meant what they were saying.

Harry pulled back, knowing that if he didn’t he’d probably just end up kissing Louis for hours.

He rested his forehead against Louis’, “Be my boyfriend.” He whispered.

Louis nodded, “Of course, Hazza. Of course I will.”

“I’ve got to call Niall.” Harry said, at the exact same time as Louis said, “I’ve got to call Zayn.”

They both laughed, each calling their designated confidant, who then each called Liam, and soon they all knew.

“Care for a movie night with the lads?” Louis asked. “Zayn wants to know.”

“I’d rather just have a movie night with you, boo.” Harry said, squeezing Louis’ hand.

He could hear Zayn gagging on Louis’ phone, and Niall cooing on his. He laughed at the very different reactions from his friends.

“Fine.” Harry conceded. “Movie night with the lads.”

“We’ll be ‘round to yours soon, Zayn.” Louis said, hanging up.

“See you at Zayn’s.” Harry said to Niall.

“Yeah, mate. Don’t let the other two stop you and your man from snogging. You deserve it. It’s taken you long enough.”


End file.
